SBIR Direct-To-Phase II Contract For Long-Range Multi-Mission Platform

Pyka announced it has been awarded a Direct-to-Phase II (D2P2) SBIR contract to focus on the development of DropShip, a next-generation long-range, multi-mission cargo UAS platform intended for the needs of the Department of the Air Force (DAF).

The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have accelerated the timelines from proposal to award to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) processes. This expands the pool of potential small business applicants and eliminates bureaucratic overhead.

With this award, DropShip enters the defense sector bringing flexibility across logistics and humanitarian missions. It is engineered for long-range heavy-lift capability with modular payload configurations and precision airdrop its core functionalities.

DropShip has a range of over 3,500 miles and a payload capacity of up to 550 pounds. Its airdrop system can deliver supplies within 150 feet of the target, providing a reliable method of getting critical supplies into contested environments. It is able to fly up to 45 minutes in all-electric, low-noise mode when necessary for covert or noise-sensitive missions.

The vehicle is designed for rapid deployment, going from a 20-foot shipping container to flight-ready in less than an hour and executes missions with a single operator.

In addition to airdrop, DropShip’s modular system is readily reconfigurable to accommodate ISR sensors, waveform-agnostic communications suites, mothership support for smaller ISR or comms UAVs, and expeditionary power supply. Those capabilities are supported by an open-architecture secondary computer that enables rapid plug-and-play integration.

Michael Norcia, CEO of Pyka said, “DropShip answers the urgent demand for a flexible, attritable platform that can extend logistics, ISR, and communications deep into contested or difficult to reach environments at a fraction of the cost of exquisite assets. We see this as a critical step in expanding Pyka’s proven commercial technology into defense and humanitarian missions where adaptability and affordability matter most.”

FMI:  www.flypyka.com/